


First Love Returns

by CraftKookies



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 12:21:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20975822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraftKookies/pseuds/CraftKookies
Summary: Peter finds a stranger by the water spring, only it is not a stranger at all.





	1. Chapter 1

Something wasn’t right.

Pan was at the camp watching a few of his Lost Boys tussle when he felt it. 

Someone was on his island, someone he hadn’t invited.

He stood up and concentrated his magic on locating this person, it only took a few seconds before he had it.

‘I know that look Pan, and I want in.’ Felix said as he walked over to stand beside Pan.

‘Like I’d ever leave you out.’ Pan smiled as he lead the way.

‘What is it?’ Felix asked as he followed.

‘Someone is on my island.’ is all Pan said.

The rest of the journey was silent, each boy lost in their own thought and enjoying the peace.

‘Well this is different.’ Felix said.

‘What is, a visitor? We get them every century or so.’ Pan said.

‘Not that, the location.’

‘We aren’t there yet.’ Pan reminded.

‘True but we are headed in the opposite direction of all the other places people land in when they enter Neverland. 

Pan took a moment to realize Felix was right, people either landed on the beach, in the middle of the sea or the Mermaid Lagoon. This intruder was at the healing water spring.

This new realization only made Pan more anxious to see this person.

Finally the reached the spring and they came across a sight neither had expected.

A girl.

‘You there!’ Pan shouted. startling the girl.

‘I had been told no one inhabited this realm.’ she said, keeping her head down, the black cloak she wore covering her face.

‘Well you have been misinformed, remove your cloak and tell me your name love.’ Pan said smoothly.

‘Tell me your name first.’ she countered.

‘Have I forgot to introduce myself? I’m Peter, Peter Pan.’

‘Well Peter Peter Pan that is quite the unusual name, and I’d mock you for it more if I wasn’t in such a hurry. I get the feeling your in charge here so I’ll make it quick. No tricks, secret motives or ill intentions.’ the strange girl said before sighing tiredly.

‘I have been cursed and I need this spring water to break it.’

‘What curse?’ Felix asked.

‘How old do I look?’ she asked.

‘Seventeen at most.’ Felix answered.

‘I was going on thirty three when I was cursed.’ 

‘Youth is a blessing, not a curse.’ Pan spoke.

‘It is when it keeps your son from you, little one must be wondering where I am and if I abandoned him and his father.’ she said the last part more to herself than to Pan and Felix.

‘I grow tired of your back story, remove your cloak and reveal your face.’ Pan ordered.

‘Yes my lord.’ the girl curtsied before removing her hood and showing herself.

’(Y/N)?’ Pan gasped.

‘Do I know you Peter Peter Pan?’


	2. Chapter 2

Pan looked at her face closer and he was sure of it, this was (Y/N). 

Rumple’s mother, his first love, and the only person that ever made him feel like he was worth anything.

She was definitely much younger than she was the last time he had seen her all those centuries ago, but it was definitely her. He’d recognize those (Y/E/C) eyes anywhere.

What was she doing here on the island after all these years? How long does she think it’s been since she is wondering about Rumple?

‘Pan, do you know this girl?’ Felix whispered, so only Peter could hear him.

This pulled Pan from his thoughts enough to regain his composure.

‘I know just about everything, but I must say I have some questions for this girl. Questions I’d like to ask her…privately.’ Pan said before sending Felix back to camp in a cloud of green smoke.

‘Did you want some alone time with me Peter Peter?’ (Y/N) asked with an arched brow.

Peter inwardly smiled, her attitude hadn’t changed a bit.

‘Why are you here?’ he asked.

‘I told you, I’m cursed.’ she answered.

‘Who cursed you?’ 

‘A petty wizard who had a sick sense of humor. I was ill and dying, barely survived childbirth. At first I just wanted to live long enough to see him, to hold him one time then I could die knowing he was alive and well, but when I saw him I wanted to see him grow up. So I went about finding anyone who could cure me.’ (Y/N) said.

Peter looked down, he remembered well how sick she had been before Rumple was born, and he remembered her leaving to find a cure, but she never came back. He knew she hadn’t left him and Rumple, but he had believed she’d died on her journey.

‘The wizard, I never got his name, he said the only way to cure me was to go back to before I had gotten infected. Before I could ask question I was like this, he said that the illness would return and each time it would he would just de-age me again. He did this too many times to count, keeping me in a dark room, no windows, no light.’ she said sadly.

‘How long were you there?’ Pan asked.

‘I don’t know how long it had been, but a few weeks ago he finally opened the door and told me of this land and it’s healing waters, one sip and I can go home to my little Rumple and my husband Malcolm.’

Peter tried very hard not to frown at this. 

She held been held hostage by some wizard, being toyed with for centuries and she didn’t even know that she would never get back to her son, or that he, Malcolm, was not the man she had remembered.

‘I am sorry to inform you that none of those things will happen for several reasons. One of the reasons being that one sip from this spring means you will never be able to leave this island.’ he said as he walked closer to her.

‘What?’ she said in fear.

‘The magic in this spring is connected to this island, and only this island. You could drink it dry, but the second you leave Neverland the magic fades and you will be sick once more.’ Pan explained.

‘So…all of this for nothing. I’m never going to see my family again am I?’ she said brokenly.

All Peter wanted to do was hold her in his arms and tell her she still had him. It was too late for Rumple, but she still had him and she always would. Only he couldn’t.

She doesn’t even know him, not this him. She knew the man, the father, the gambling drunk. She didn’t know the Boy Demon who was the ruler of Neverland and the Lost Boys.

‘Even if you could leave, you would never see your family anyhow. It has been centuries. That man is long dead, and your child has grown and perished.’ Pan lied.

He had no choice, he couldn’t tell her the truth. That he had traded her son for youth, that her son is the Dark One. That he had let her down.

He could only watch as the tears swelled in her young eyes before she finally broke down. Shaking so violently with sobs that she fell to her knees and cried out.

‘Rumple, my little Rumple I’m so sorry.’ she sobbed as she covered her face with her hand and continued to cry.

Peter could only watch, glad she had covered her face so she couldn’t see the few tears he had shed.


	3. Chapter 3

It took a few more minutes before (Y/N) had calmed down enough to stand, her face red and puffed up from crying.

Peter used a quick bit of magic to rid himself of his own red and puffy eyes.

‘W-what do I do now.’ she asked out loud.

The way I see it you have two options. I can let you leave the island, and you can go back home. Where you could start a new family or seek your revenge, either way the illness would return.’ Peter said sourly.

The thought of anyone taking his place by her side made him sick.

‘No, I don’t want either of those things. I felt love once, and I can’t imagine anyone giving me that feeling again.’ she said.

Peter had to pause and take in what she had said. She really could leave the island, he wouldn’t force her to stay. She could find a new man that made her just as happy as he had, if not happier than he had. But she didn’t wan’t that, even if he had died she still remained faithful to him and only him.

‘Your second option is to drink the water.’ Peter said as he snapped out of his deep thoughts.

This made (Y/N)’s head tilt in confusion.

‘Stay here on the island with me and my Lost Boys. With or without drinking the water the illness wouldn’t ever return, because here you would never age. You’d stay young and live forever, spending your days playing with me and my lost boys.’ Peter said.

‘You keep saying Lost Boys, who are they?’ she asked.

‘What’s the point of living forever if you have to be alone? My Lost Boys are my friends, boys from multiple realms, boys with no one that loved them. I brought them here to live and play happily forever.’ Pan answered.

Peter watched anxiously as he (Y/N) seemed to think it over, he hoped like hell that she would stay. Now that he knew she was alive he didn’t want her to leave him again. 

He wanted her to be were he could always protect her, and keep her safe, he couldn’t do that as Malcolm the drunk.

Without a word (Y/N) walked over to the spring, and took a handful of water and drank.

She turned and made eye contact .

‘Welcome to Neverland.’ he smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Granted Peter could have easily transported them to the camp, but he wanted more alone time with (Y/N). Plus to transport someone the first time you have to touch them, and he wasn’t sure he could lay a hand on her without wanting more.

So they both walked through the jungle back to camp.

‘Tell me about them, your family.’ Peter said.

‘Well, sadly I don’t have much to tell about my son, he was still just a babe when I left. But I had hopes for him, such high hopes, nothing specific or any plans. I just..I wanted to raise him, tell him right from wrong, watch him grow into a man.’ she said sadly as she looked down.

‘What about your husband?’ Pan asked, wanting to take both her’s and his own mind off Rumple.

‘My husband, Malcolm, he was a difficult man to love sometimes I won’t lie. He’d gamble and drink and that man could whine like royalty.’ (Y/N) smiled fondly.

‘But through all of it I still loved him, I think that scared him sometimes. Maybe that was why he was the way he was, trying to run me off.’ she sighed.

‘Why would you think that?’

‘Because he only saw the bad things he’d done, only saw himself as a drunk gambler who would be no good to anyone. It was all the other villagers told him, they all told me to leave him too. They didn’t know that when he was sober he treated me like a queen.’ (Y/N) smiled.

Pan could only stare at her in awe. He knew he loved here, and he knew she loved him, but couldn’t ever understand why.

‘He would make breakfast and dinner when I was too ill to get out of bed, he brushed my hair, and when I was couldn’t sleep because of a fever he played his flute and soothed me to sleep. Malcolm was a great man in my eyes, and I’m sure he was a great father to Rumple.’ she said proudly.

‘I’m sure he was.’ Peter said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

As Peter and walked and talked with (Y/N) he learned more things about the situation he was getting himself into by lying about who he really as.

She now fully believed that both Rumple and her husband Malcolm had died, that he had raised Rumple to be a great man. So he’d have to tell the Lost Boys to stick to that lie if it ever came up again. In fact he’d try to never have Rumple ever pop up in conversation.

He learned more about her travels and how exactly she was treated in her time of captivity. He felt strangely thankful it seemed to that this wizard was treating her more as a pet than a prisoner. She was well fed, kept warm and safe, and in a sick way her health was maintained.

‘So Peter Peter, tell me about these Lost Boys.’ she said.

‘You don’t have to say Peter twice.’ Peter smiled.

‘Neither did you.’ she grinned.

‘Plus its fun to say, Peter Peter, Peter Peter.’ she teased.

It took a lot of strength in character for Peter to not say how much he lover to hear her say his name.

‘My boys, they are…well they’re boys. So they are naturally wild, not too horrible if you like games that could cost you a limb or two.’

‘A camp full of wild boys won’t last without order.’ (Y/N) said.

‘That’s where I come in, I control the chaos, assign the chores.’ Peter informed.

‘Ah, so what will my task be?’

Peter took a moment and remember how (Y/N) had truly hated house work like cooking and cleaning, but with her health she did what she could to help. She spoke of how she wished to be out and how she wanted to hunt like her father taught her when she was a little girl. 

‘I think hunting is where you’d fit in best.’ he said nonchalantly, proud of himself for being able to give her a task she’d enjoy.

He saw her face brighten in excitement, and he had to fight his own smile when he saw her try to hide hers.

‘I guess I could do that.’ she shrugged.

Peter stops as they approach the camp.

‘It’s just ahead, now be ready to be crowded the boys haven’t seen a girl in a while.’ he said, mentally already killing anyone who touched her.

‘If they get handsy then so will I.’ she said raising her fist.

‘Atta girl.’


End file.
